Strong professional relationships can shape careers, open doors to new opportunities, and help build a stronger future for the trucking and supply chain industries.
Jenny Fall, Director of Driver Engagement at the Women in Trucking Association (WIT) recently caught up with Marina Mayer, co-founder of the Women in Supply Chain Forum and editor-in-chief of Food Logistics and Supply and Demand Chain Executive to share perspectives on mentorship, networking, and what it takes to build a career that lasts.
As she says, you don't grow where you're not watered, and the right person in your corner, whether a steady mentor or a sponsor actively opening doors, can be the difference between an opportunity that passes by and one that changes the direction of a career.
Mentorship used to follow a familiar script, with an industry veteran passing knowledge down to someone earlier in their career. According to Mayer, that model has evolved into a two-way street, where everyone, regardless of age, title, or background, has something to teach and something to learn. Younger professionals bring fresh perspective and new skills that seasoned leaders can benefit from as well.
Mayer outlines the difference between three terms that often get used interchangeably:
Mayer offers a real example of what that impact can look like – after connecting a mentee at the Supply Chain Forum with two additional mentors, that woman landed a new job within months. It is a small illustration of a larger pattern, where the right mentor or sponsor changes the course of someone's career.
Mayer encourages early-career professionals to take risks without fear of getting it wrong. In her view, there is no single correct way to build a presence in an industry, and the worst outcome of putting yourself forward is usually just a "not right now." Staying quiet and waiting to be noticed often means missed opportunities.
One concrete piece of advice she offers is to keep a running list of accomplishments. Rather than trying to recall achievements months later, she recommends tracking them as they happen, including specific results and data. That list becomes invaluable when it is time to ask for a raise, apply for a new role, or simply demonstrate value to a manager.
Mayer also acknowledges that some women carry a quiet belief that they will never be good enough, regardless of tenure or performance. Overcoming that mindset often comes down to being in the right environment, surrounded by people and a company culture that recognize potential and create real opportunities for growth.
Fall offers advice specifically for women drivers, for whom balancing life on the road with family and personal commitments remains one of the biggest challenges. Her recommendation is to seek out companies that share your values and challenge outdated assumptions about trucking, particularly the idea that a driving career means constant time away from home. Connecting with other women in the industry, including through WIT’s membership community, can offer a more accurate and varied picture of what the career path can look like.
In a recent shift, more organizations are building formal internal promotion pathways, prioritizing hiring and promoting from within before looking externally, with continuous training built into that process. According to Mayer, her own company follows this same practice, treating internal promotion as an unwritten standard, though she is now seeing more companies put real structure and planning behind it.
That kind of formal pathway is part of what is opening doors for women as Mayer sees women moving into leadership roles for the first time in company history.
For Mayer, that kind of progress works best when it happens for the right reasons: because someone has earned the role and will excel in it, not to satisfy an expectation. Lasting change, she says, takes everyone. Systematically, it takes all of us, every single one of us, men and women alike, staying educated, open-minded, and flexible as the industry evolves. Companies should still hire the right person for the job, but make sure women are genuinely part of that consideration.
Fall emphasizes that attending a single conference or webinar is only the starting point for the ongoing support and connection that help women advance. Real momentum comes from what happens afterward, and Mayer warns of the common pitfall of attendees leaving an event energized, collecting a stack of business cards, and forgetting the people and details within weeks. It’s critical to revisit those conversations soon after an event, not months later, to turn the introduction into an actual relationship.
Mayer offers practical advice to mentees to follow the organizations and people you admire on LinkedIn, then look through who else follows them to spot potential connections. A good place to start is by following Women In Trucking Association and Women in Supply Chain Forum.
Another good suggestion from Mayer is to use LinkedIn's search function with specific keywords, like a job title or role, to find people worth reaching out to. It can also be beneficial to reach out to event speakers directly and ask for introductions and join associations where you can actively participate in the conversation.
Mentors have a role to play too, and Mayer encourages those interested in that role to not wait to be approached. The first move could be as simple as inviting someone to connect on LinkedIn or, as Mayer does herself, watching for someone who seems hesitant, like an attendee who sits in the back of a room and slips out during Q&A.
For those looking to get started today, WIT Connections offers several opportunities to network and build connections with professionals from around the industry, including:
Additionally, consider attending WIT’s 2026 Accelerate! Conference & Expo Oct. 25-28 in Dallas, TX and the Women in Supply Chain Forum education, networking and mentorship conference Nov. 17-19 in Charleston, SC.
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